Sergei Rudenko

Sergei Gnatovich Rudenko (20 October 1904-10 July 1990) was a Marshal of the Aviation of the Soviet Air Force of the USSR during World War II and the Cold War.

Biography
Sergei Gnatovich Rudenko was born on 20 October 1904 in Korop, Russian Empire, and he joined the Red Army in 1923, graduating from the Crimea Military Flight Academy and entering the Soviet Air Force as an officer. He commanded the Soviet 16th Air Army during World War II, leading it during the counterattack against the Axis Powers from October 1942 until the end of the war. In May 1944, he was promoted to Colonel-General, and he led the Gagarin Military Academy from May 1968 to August 1973. He died in 1990.